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Poker champ Phil Ivey waiting for $11.7 million payout

Poker superstar Phil Ivey is shown during a tournament in 2003. Recently, Ivey won $11.7 million playing punto banco at a London casino. He has yet to receive his money. (Photo: Eileen Blass, USA TODAY)

Crockfords informed authorities that it is withholding Ivey's payout. A source with close knowledge of the dispute described the situation as unprecedented.

Ivey reportedly played for two nights over the August bank holiday for a total of seven hours. Suspicions intensified when it was discovered that a female companion with Ivey had a suspended membership with another Mayfair casino.

...Staff members, including a female croupier, were interviewed over fears of collusion. It is unclear what, if anything, Ivey has been accused of doing. Lawyers for both sides are said to be engaged in an increasingly tense stand-off. It is not thought that police have been alerted, media reports stated.